1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of remote control, and in particular to controlling image display devices.
2. Description of the Related Art
Television (TV) remote control has radically changed the manner in which many television viewers watch TV. Even the lexicon of television viewing has changed such that viewers regularly xe2x80x9cchannel surfxe2x80x9d by quickly progressing from one channel to another. While the standard remote control has proven quite popular, it has not satisfied all the potential needs of the viewer. For example, some TVs are equipped to display a second smaller picture within a screen of the TV. This xe2x80x9cpicture within a picturexe2x80x9d (PIP) can display a second program, from either a tuner of a video cassette recorder (VCR) or a second tuner within the TV, or it can display a video signal from a VCR tape or a laserdisc. While the viewer with the PIP TV can watch two programs with the PIP window, viewers without PIP cannot monitor programming on a second channel.
Standard remote controls for video devices such as TVs, VCRs, laser disc players, surround-sound systems and digital satellite system (DSS) dishes are simple hand-held devices which send an infrared (IR) signal to an IR sensor located on the front of the video device to control functions of the video display device. To operate the video device with the remote control, the user must be within a specified angle and a limited, direct-line-of-sight distance of operation in front of the video device. Although not in widespread use, some conventional remote controls also permit display on the remote control of the same image that is displayed on the television.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,003,396 issued to C. H. Kang discloses a black in white monitoring system for monitoring a broadcast television system. While the monitoring system of the Kang reference is capable of reproducing a broadcast television picture on a LCD display, the monitoring system is not capable of displaying broadcast television pictures other than the broadcast television picture shown on the associated television set.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,537,107 issued to S. Funado discloses a remote control for use with a video camcorder. While the remote control of the Funado reference is capable of producing a video image on a LCD display, the remote control is not capable of displaying video images other than the video image shown on the associated video apparatus.
Moreover, while remote controls have become quite popular, the proliferation of video devices and associated remote controls has produced a clutter of remote controls for the viewer to control all the video devices connected to the TV. Universal remote controls store commands for a large number of video device types and particular models. They become obsolete as new models of televisions, VCRs, and other video devices are released. While remote controls that can xe2x80x9clearnxe2x80x9d to emulate the commands of other remote controls are available, they have not gained wide acceptance among consumers due to the difficulty in programming these learning remotes. Users are required to make all of their own decisions regarding the functional assignment of buttons. Additionally, these remotes only provide a limited feedback to users by employing beeps and LED flashes. Such a limited feedback has proven to be confusing and inadequate for many users.
Learning remote controls which accept and then emulate commands of other remote controls may be particularly useful in the new technology of computer television where standards are in flux. In a typical computer television scenario, such as WEB-TV(trademark), a computer signal is sent to a television via computer network. A signal corresponding to image data is displayed on a television screen as it would be on a conventional computer monitor. Computer commands may be entered on a keyboard in communication with the television via infrared transmitters and receivers.
The present invention relates to a remote control system for use with an image display device. The remote control system is capable of showing an image distinct from another image displayed on the image display device. The remote control system includes a transmitter and a remote control. The transmitter transmits a selected image signal to the remote control. The remote control displays an image that can be distinct from another image displayed on the image display device corresponding to another selected image signal, or it can be the same image displayed on the image display device corresponding to the same selected image signal. The displaying of the images may depend upon a mode of operation selected by the remote control system.
The remote control may be a learning remote control. The learning remote control includes a receiver for receiving an original command signal sent by an original remote control which corresponds to an original command on the original remote control. When a learning algorithm on the learning remote control is activated, such as by pressing a button, the received original command signal is stored in a memory. To indicate which command button should be pressed on an original remote control and whether the emulation signal has been successfully saved in the memory in a location associated with a desired command on the learning remote control, the remote learning control includes feedback mechanisms. The image screen on the remote control is part of the feedback mechanism.
In an alternate embodiment, the invention includes an image display system capable of displaying two distinct images essentially simultaneously. The image display system includes two image displays. One image display is included with the remote control and one is separate from the remote control. A controller selects two image signals from at least two image sources. The images displayed on the two displays may be distinct from the image displayed on the other display.
An advantage of the present invention is that it permits convenient channel monitoring of other channels and the output of multiple image display devices without covering up part of an image displayed on an image screen as in the conventional picture-in-picture (PIP) technology. The invention also offers the advantage of easily programming a learning remote control by displaying feedback information on the image screen on the remote control. The convenience of the learning remote control provides backward compatibility with a wide array of image display devices. The invention""s remote control allows a user to operate and view the output of a display device, such as a cable television or a VCR, without being in proximity to the display device. These and other advantages of the invention will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art upon a reading of the following description and a study of the accompanying drawings.